FINAL ROUND SEEDINGS TO BE FINALIZED FOLLOWING MONDAYS PLAY:
The rain-effected second schedule will be concluded with two games on Monday in Italy, including a crucial USA-Australia makeup matchup which will determine seeding for the final round of the right top remaining nations in the 2009 World Cup. The pairings, seedings and sites will be announced immediately following Australia-USA.

THE FINAL EIGHT:
Sunday’s play finalised the eight nations that will move on to the final round. Those eight nations are The United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Chinese Taipei.

SUNDAY’S SCORES:
USA 12 ITALY 3:
Justin Smoak’s Team USA World Cup record and tournament-leading seventh and eighth home runs highlighted his squad’s 12-3 win over host nation Italy. Smoak finished the night 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs, continuing his tear through the World Cup. Buck Coats and Trevor Plouffe also hit home runs for the U.S., and Kasey Kiker got the win. With the victory, Team USA stays unbeaten in the second round at 6-0 and is left with a rain make-up game against Australia (5-1) on Monday to decide the final seeding among the top two teams in Pool G. Jack Santora and Davide Dallospendale each had one RBI for Italy. The defeat took the Italians to 1-5 and out of contention for a final round bid. It faces the Netherlands Antilles Monday in the day’s other rain make-up game.

CUBA 5 NETHERLANDS 3:
Yousvany Peraza’s three run double in the third inning gave the visiting Cubans an early lead they never relinquished in knocking the Dutch from the undefeated ranks with a 5-3 win before 4,000 in Rotterdam. Sharlon Schoop’s home run cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third, but an Alfredo Despaigne home run and a Luis Navas RBI double in the eighth pushed the lead to 5-1, before Hainley Statia’s two run home run closed the gap again to two runs, 5-3, in the bottom of the inning. The Netherlands had the tying run at the plate with one out in the ninth and a runner on first, but Pedro Lazio, got the final two outs to seal the victory. Yulieski Gonzalez went 7 1/3 innings for Cuba to get the win, allowing three runs on just four hits.

CANADA 5 CHINESE TAIPEI 3:
Sunday’s rain-shortened Canada vs. Chinese Taipei match-up featured two teams guaranteed a spot in the final round, and it lived up to the billing, with Canada pulling out a close, 5-3 win. The victory pulls the Canadians even with Chinese Taipei in the win-loss columns at 5-2, but Canada secures the #3 seed, owning the tie-breaker with Sunday night’s win. Chinese Taipei will be the #4 seed. Canada was buoyed by a Rene Tosoni home run, continuing his run as Canada’s leading hitter in the World Cup. Starter Jamie Richmond was solid in the start for Canada, allowing three earned runs in five innings. Chinese Taipei held the lead twice Sunday night, but Canada answered each time, eventually pulling away in the sixth. Chung-Chun Wu was 1-for-2 with two RBIs for Chinese Taipei. As has been the case throughout much of Pool G’s second round schedule, torrential rains moved into the area during the contest, resulting in the game being called after the sixth inning.

JAPAN 9 NETHERLANDS ANTILLES 1:
In match-up between the last two teams in Pool G, Japan (2-5) kept the Netherlands Antilles (0-6) winless in Round 2, topping the Caribbean nation 10-1. Leadoff hitter Ikuhiro Kiyota led the attack for 2009 World Baseball Classic champion Japan, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs, and Motoki Higa secured the win, going five stellar innings, striking out 10 and giving up only the one earned run. Netherlands Antilles could not follow-up its first round success (2-1; Pool C; Sundbyberg, Sweden) and will face host nation Italy in a rain make-up game on Monday to wrap-up World Cup play. Andley Simmons led the Netherlands Antilles going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Simon Pantoplet took the loss, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) in five innings pitched.

AUSTRALIA 6 MEXICO 5:
Another Australia-Mexico showdown, another one-run game. In a rematch of the top two teams in Prague’s Pool A, Australia (5-1) avenged its opening round 10-9 loss to Mexico (2-5), this time holding it off for a 6-5. The Aussies were guaranteed a spot in the final round coming into the game, while Mexico was already eliminated from the final round, failing to capture the magic it found as a 3-0 Round 1 winner. Australia moves into tomorrow’s rain make-up showdown against the USA (6-0) with the number one overall seed in Pool G on the line. Bradley Harman led the Australia attack Sunday night, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Abel Martinez was 2-for-3 with three RBIs for Mexico, including a home run that brought his squad within one run in the top of the ninth.

KOREA 2 SPAIN 1:
Korea rallied late, scoring the tie breaking run on an eighth inning bases loaded walk, and held on to defeat Spain 2-1 in Amsterdam Sunday. Paco Figueroa’s two out RBI single off starter Seung-Lak Sonhad given Spain a 1-0 lead in the sixth, but South Korea tied the game at 1-1 in the seventh on a Buong-Gon Jeung RBI single off Pedro Balmonte, and then took the lead for good in the eighth, when Hun-Gon Kim walked with the bases loaded and two outs against Rheiner Cruz. Spain had the tieing run on third and the go ahead run on second in the top of the ninth, but Ji-Woong Yoon struck out pinch hitter Lesther Galvan to ground out to end the game.

VENEZUELA 6 GREAT BRITAIN 1:
Venezuela’s pitchers Roger Luque and Erik Arteaga combined to scatter eight hits and hold Great Britain to one run in a 6-1 win in Haarlem. Venezuela took advantage of three walks and a wild pitch to take a 1-0 first inning lead, extended it to 2-0 on a Yosnel Garcia sacrifice fly in the fourth and then scored four runs on six hits, including a two run double by Michael Sandoval, to break the game open in the seventh.

PUERTO RICO 16 NICARAGUA 0:
Nicaragua’s pitching staff had allowed a total of 25 runs in their first nine games, but Puerto Rico exploded for 16 runs, including an eight run sixth, to defeat their Latin rivals 16-0 in Haarlem. Puerto Rico scored a pair of unearned runs in the first and another in the fourth, and were leading 5-0 after five when they broke the game open, sending 11 men to bat in a 7 hit (all singles), eight run inning. Seven different players picked up RBI’s in the inning. Alexander Woodson pitched six shutout innings to earn the win for Puerto Rico, combining with Melvin Pizarro on a six hitter, Puerto Rico’s second shutout and fifth straight win. Stephen Morales and Miguel Negron each had three hits to lead the balanced Puerto Rico attack.

NOTES:

ON TO THE FINAL ROUND:
Following Monday’s makeup games, the final round of the 2009 Baseball World Cup will begin with four games on Tuesday in Grosetto, Nettuno, Firenze and Messina. The final round will continue all week, with the Gold Medal game being played Sunday, 27 September in Nettuno, Italy.

NO UNBEATEN TEAM LEFT:
Sunday’s win by Cuba over the Netherlands knocked the final country from the ranks of the unbeaten. Entering Monday’s makeup games the Unites States now owns the longest current win streak in the World Cup at seven games, after losing their tournament opener to Venezuela in Regensburg, Germany 13-9 in 11 innings. Canada and Puerto Rico own the second longest winning streak at five, with both having completed their second round play.

USA SMOAK’S ITS WAY INTO THE HOME RUN RECORD BOOK:
Texas Rangers prospect Justin Smoak had his record third two home run game on Sunday vs. Italy, giving him a World Cup best eight home runs thus far.

CUBA STILL SETTING THE PITCHING PACE:
Cuba’s quest to regain the World Cup continues to be led by its Tournament-leading pitching staff, which has compiled a 1.76 ERA during its 9-1 run thus far. The Cuban staff has amassed 103 strikeouts thought the first two rounds (second only to Japan’s total of 120) and given up only 22 walks and three home runs. Cuban pitcher Norge Vera is 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 14 innings, while his teammate Freddy Alvarez is 2-0 and has allowed one earned run in 15 innings.
DUTCH FINISH IMPRESSIVE ROUND AT 6-1 ON HOME TURF:
The Netherlands continued their emergence on the international baseball scene, going 6-1 with a lone loss to Cuba in Round Two. The Dutch are second only to Australia in team batting average .325 and are led by San Francisco Giants prospect Sharlon Schoop, who is hitting .464 (13-28), while Los Angeles Angels prospect Hainley Statia (10-24, .417) and former Baltimore Oriole Eugene Kingsale is hitting at a .368 pace.

AUSSIE HITTING SHOES STAY ON:
Australia enters Monday’s game with the USA leading all teams with a .328 average, and third in runs scored with 77. Australia’s only two losses thus far have been by one run to Mexico (10-9) and Chinese Taipei (5-4), both of which they have avenged. Philadelphia Phillies prospect Joel Naughton continues to set the hitting pace for Australia with a .478 mark (11-23), with Minnesota Twins prospect James Bereford hitting .343 (12-35) and two other teammates hitting .333, Phillies prospect Timothy Kennelly and Pirates Christopher Snelling.
WOW CANADA:
The team leading all nations in runs scored through two rounds is Canada. The Canadians have scored 9.3 rpg in their 8-2 run thus far, and are led by Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni .390 3 HR, 11 RBI.